I love Beauty and the Beast, and this book still managed to surprise me. I'm not saying it has much in common with previous incarnations of the story, but damn this was a good one. It sucked me in so completely, and managed to give all the characters several layers, and I just love that. ( )

This book was absolutely glorious. It wouldn't let me put it down. Thank you DJL for the recommendation! ( )

“In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret.”

A Beauty and the Beast retelling … but they’re both beasts?

Centuries ago, humans arrived on a foreign planet and found ways to survive in their harsh new environment. Now, domed cities protect the Smooth Skins from the outside world and a blood covenant keeps their ground fertile and their people prosperous, while the Desert People live off the land, their scales and claws earning them the name “Monstrous.”

But both peoples are suffering. A curse was cast by the planet’s Pure Heart that will either unite the two groups or destroy them in the end. Princess Isra of Yuan, blind and tainted by Monstrous traits, was born to be a sacrifice, a queen without power. When a Monstrous boy is captured trying to steal the city’s enchanted roses to save his tribe from starvation, Isra begins to realize he isn’t as Monstrous as she has always believed. And that isn’t the only lie she has been told…

A mix of sci-fi and fantasy, a world where nothing is as it seems — I was on the edge of my seat from the first chapter! ( )

I really enjoyed this. It's one of the best retellings I've read, actually feels original, not so much a retelling. The romance is believable. The characters are great. The world is well done. The storyline is awesome. I definitely fell into this book. It's about a people who came to a planet. The planet's god is screwed up because of some things the people did. It creates a big rift of the people. The ones outside the dome become sort of human/animal hybrids. The people inside are more traditional. Things are going wrong now. The planet is dying. It's interesting. I recommend checking it out. ( )

2.5 Stars

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I got this as an Audiobook during one of the SYNCs (these provide some audiobooks for free for a limited period of time), and I don't know why but this was the second Beauty and the Beast retelling I got to listen to in this way.

While I like retellings, it is always a little bit problematic because you already know where the story is going. And when things start to feel rushed or forced, as was the romance in this case, I don't really like it. Isra, who lives by the well-being of a set of enchanted roses, had a lot of angst and was very passive, even though she was supposed to be ruling the city. I liked the setting, but had more hopes for the execution of the story. ( )